Page:The whole familiar colloquies of Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam.djvu/288

284 FAMILIAR COLLOQUIES. sermons, say, Do not be afraid at supper-time to eat a piece of bread, or drink a pint of wine or ale, to support the weakness of the body. If they take upon them the authority of indulging, so that they will indulge a small supper to those that are in health, and that contrary to the ordinance of the church, which requires fasting; may they not permit not only a small supper, but a pretty hearty one, to such persons whose weakness requires it, and the popes themselves expressly declare that they approve it? If any one treats his body with severity, it may be called zeal, for every one knows his own constitution best; but where is the piety and the charity of those persons that reduce a weak brother, wherein the spirit is willing, but the flesh weak, even to death’s door, or bringing him into a disease worse than death itself, against the law of nature, the law of God, and the sense and meaning of the law of the pope himself?

Bu. What you mention brings to my mind what I saw myself about two years since: I believe you know eros an old man, about sixty years of age, a man of a very weakly constitution, who by a lingering illness, acute diseases, and hard studies, even enough to kill a horse, was brought to death’s door. This man by some occult quality in nature, had, from a child, a great aversion to eating fish, and an inability to endure fasting, so that he never attempted them without imminent hazard of his life, at last obtain’d a dispensation from the pope to defend him against the malevoLent tongues of some pharisaical spirits. He not long ago, upon the invitation of friends, goes to the city eleutheropolis, a city not at all like its name: It was then Lent-time, and a day or two were devoted to the enjoyment of his friends, in the mean time fish was the common diet; but he, lest he gave offence to any person, tho’ he had his necessity to justify him, as well as the pope’s dispensation to bear him out, eat fish. He perceived his old distemper coming upon him, which was worse than death itself; so he prepares to take his leave of his friends, and go home; being necessitated so to do, unless he would lie sick there. Some there suspecting that he was in such haste to go, because he could not bear to eat fish, got glaucoplutus, a very learned man, and a chief magistrate in that province, to invite him to breakfast. Eros being quite tir’d with company, which he could not avoid in a publick inn, consented to go, but upon this condition, that he should make no provision, but a couple of eggs, which he would eat standing, and immediately take horse and be gone. He was promised it should be as he desir’d; but when he comes, there was a fowl provided: Eros taking it ill, tasted nothing but the eggs, and rising from table, took horse, some learned men bearing him company part of the way. But however it came about, the smell of the fowl got into the noses of some sycophants, and there was as great a noise in the city, as if ten men had been murdered; nor was the noise confin’d there, but was carried to other places two days journey off, and, as is usual, still gain’d by carrying; adding, that if eros had not got away, he had been carried before the justice, which tho’ that was false, yet true it was, that glaucoplutus was obliged to give the magistrate satisfaction. But now considering the circumstances of eros, had he eat flesh in public, who could justly have been offended at it? And yet in the same city all Lent-time, but especially on holidays, they drink till they are mad,